Chapter 90

　　Amelia found Aurelius in his study. A holo of the Kalen`s match hovered in the air in front of him. He seemed to be watching replays, the image pausing and resetting periodically as he stroked his hand over his beard.

　　"He`s fine. Mare is with him now." Amelia spoke before the Emperor, assuring him of Kalen`s health. He merely nodded in response, his face clouded and unreadable.

　　"They`ve grown close. You must be delighted." Aurelius replied, not turning away from the holo.

　　"I believe them to be an excellent match. They complement each other well. It is much better than her marrying into the Carmichaels. I cannot believe Amara even considered their proposal to have that fool of a boy escort her to the ball." Amelia raised her head primly.

　　"You didn`t have anything to do with that? I must admit, you can still surprise me, my love." Aurelius smiled at his wife. Waving his hand through the holo, he closed the display and turned his attention towards her.

　　"Are we going to discuss what happened?" Amelia asked.

　　"It is inconsequential, a side effect of his contact with the Titan. He will adapt if given enough time." Aurelius assured her.

　　"You sound pleased with this development. Does the boy`s hardship not matter to you at all?" Amelia asked while frowning severely. She had grown close to Kalen over the past few months, thinking of him as her family. But she had learned long ago that her husband had a different view of things than others.

　　"Do not mistake my calmness for indifference. We all have adversities to overcome if we want to grow strong. Amelia, a flower sheltered in a greenhouse, can not face the coming storm. I would sacrifice a billion young men and women if it meant that humanity could survive."

　　"And if he dies before he can serve the purpose you have in mind for him?"

　　"Then I will seek another. Kalen is talented, but he is hardly singular in the galaxy. He has the potential to meet the envoys, but so do many others. We still have time for him to prove himself."

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　　"Neural Spillage?" Kal asked from the end of the small kitchen table in his cabin on Terra. Mare sat beside him, facing a holo display of a doctor from the medical facility he had recently been discharged from.

　　"Correct. From what you describe, it would conform with documented instances of Neural Spillage. Combined with your scans, it confirms that the effects of Piloting the Titan extend far beyond the physical strain placed on your body. It would explain the visions you had and your unregulated emotions." The doctor continued.

　　"How do we prevent this from happening again?" Mare asked.

　　She had rushed over to Kal`s cabin after the match. Finding the door unlocked, she had burst into the room expecting the worst. He had been sitting in the living room, staring at nothing and shaking from the aftereffects of what he experienced. It had taken her nearly an hour to coax him to speak to her.

　　They had gone to the medical facility, only to have scans taken and no definitive answers until now.

　　"I`ll be blunt with you, Milady. This is unfamiliar territory for us. We`ve had many cases of Pilots progressing through the Classes too quickly, causing irreparable damage. I have even seen Neural Spillage injuries, but this is the first time I`ve seen the effects of a Titan on the human body. The Ducal lines are simply too guarded to allow the information to be studied.Stolen story; please report.

　　"It boils down to the fact that their bloodlines are biologically engineered to Pilot their Titan. You`re programmed,` for want of a better word, to adjust to the strain caused by Atlas. By entering it without adequate preparation, you`ve forced your body to adapt to it while disregarding the physical and mental pressure it will put on you.

　　"Worse, by Piloting the Atlas too early, you`ve begun a process that can`t be halted. It`s a ticking clock winding its way down to an inevitable conclusion."

　　"And that would be?" Kal asked.

　　"Either you adapt and evolve, controlling the changes that are happening and overcoming them. Or it will irreparably harm, even kill, you."

　　"How long do I have?"

　　"Three years, maybe longer. The symptoms you`ve been experiencing," The doctor gestured to Kal`s clenched left hand. The Baron followed his gaze before forcing it to relax. "Are only going to get worse."

　　"Your genetics are driving you to succeed, to become the perfect Pilot for the Titan. But, and forgive my bluntness, as a Light Class Pilot, I`m surprised you weren`t killed as soon as you entered the Atlas. The very thing that saved you, your bloodline, is now slowly killing you." The doctor stated.

　　"So you`ll train, and I`ll join you. We`ll do it together, along with the others. You`ve already mastered the Light class. We`ll move onto Medium in the game as soon as possible and go from there." Mare said with forced enthusiasm, trying to give Kal hope.

　　"I`m afraid it`s more complicated than that, Milady. The VR Terminal simulates the Neural Link and the burden with higher classes of Mechs, but it isn`t real. By using VR, Baron Caledon risks more instances of Neural Slippage. I`m afraid I will have to forbid you from entering the game, Milord, until your condition shows significant improvement." The Doctor said, shaking his head at the suggestion.

　　"Thank you, Doctor. I`ll figure something out." Kal said, politely dismissing him. The Holo winked out of existence, and Kal let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

　　"So, I can`t use VR to train because it may kill me, and I can`t sit here doing nothing because it will have the same result. Any ideas?" Kal asked, looking at his companion.

　　Mare was one of the only friends he had on the entire planet. He enjoyed having her here, even though their relationship had gotten off on a rocky start. He found he could trust her.

　　"We just need to train using Medium Class Mechs in the real world," Mare replied.

　　"We? You`re going to help?" Kal asked, grinning at the woman. He was already starting to feel better knowing that she was with him.

　　"Of course, I`m going to make it look easy because I`m incredibly talented. That will motivate you to try harder. It`s a faultless plan." Mare said, shrugging her shoulder nonchalantly. She pushed her chair away from the kitchen table and pulled out a communicator while she did so.

　　"I`ll be back in a minute with our next steps."

　　Mare was gone only a few minutes when she returned.

　　"Pack a bag. A shuttle will be here in a few minutes."

　　"Where are we going?" Kal asked. There wasn`t any place on Terra that he knew of that would accept them training with Mechs. The only people allowed to operate them here would be the Imperial Guard.

　　"Mars."

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　　The transportation shuttle slowed down as it approached Mars. Once a barren planet, it had the distinction of being the first planet humanity had successfully terraformed. Now, only a tiny remnant of its past remained. A small red desert that was visible from where Kal and Mare stood, surrounded by blue seas and lush, green vegetation.

　　With its gravity being only a little over a third of Terra, Mars` forests grew to unimaginable heights, with trees over a hundred feet tall being incredibly common. The wildlife had been brought here from ancient Earth during the initial expansion, and in many cases, they were the only examples of their species in the galaxy.

　　While war, overpopulation and pollution damaged Terra, Mars had always been restrictive of immigration, remaining a military outpost since the AI War. Ironically, in defending Terra from external threats, they safeguarded humanity from its own destructive tendencies.

　　In the Empire, Mars was the headquarters of the Imperial Guard. Their training centers, repair centers and barracks were on the surface. While in space, Starports was a port for hundreds of Starships and Mech repair and manufacturing facilities.

　　It was hard to believe that Mars had once been lifeless. To the Empire, it was the military hub of the galaxy, as well as the goal for nearly every Pilot who longed to join the ranks of the Imperial Guard.

　　The transport left a trail of red in the Martian sky as it approached a landing pad in a small, out-of-the-way part of the facilities. Settling on the ground with hardly a jostle, Mare and Kal left the ship and breathed in the fresh, Martian air for the first time.